For Instance, a PLB You Need: Go to Essential Forum!

Aviation journalist and survival authority Doug Ritter, editor of Equipped To Survive, is back at EAA AirVenture this year introducing pilots to new affordable distress signaling technology, the 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon, "PLB" for short. These are essentially pocket-sized personal 406 MHz ELTs. Ritter will be giving away two PLBs donated by the manufacturers, plus other survival gear worth over $1,500 to his forum attendees.

Free PLBs? really?

Being given away as door prizes are a GyPSI 406 PLB from ACR Electronics and a Fastfind 406 PLB from McMurdo Pains Wessex.

Pocket-size 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons take the "search" out of Search and Rescue and are finally U.S. legal as of July 1. Unlike an ELT, they are reliable, affordable and useable not just for flying. The FAA recently recommended PLBs as a practical backup to 121.5 MHz ELTs for those not ready to upgrade to an expensive, though far superior, 406 MHz ELT.

Ritter will cover everything you ever wanted to know about PLBs, including answers to questions you didn't even know you should ask. Included will be the benefits and limitations of these PLBs, special features available and their pros and cons, how the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite alerting system works with PLBs and the advantages 406 MHz offers over 121.5 MHz, how to use a PLB to best advantage to save your life and he will review the features of all available PLBs.

What When, Where:

Thursday, 7/31/2003    5:30- 6:45 PM   Pavilion 05

Title: Get Rescued! - Personal Locator Beacons Have Arrived (and Will Save Your Butt)

Presenter: Doug Ritter, Editor of Equipped To Survive

FMI: www.equipped.org; GyPSI; FastFind